Bargains and Betrayals by Shannon Delany Read Free Book Online

driver—relatively competent, da? ”
    “Come on, Pietr. The bus isn’t so bad,” Amy tried.
    Pietr’s eyes darkened.
    “It’s a status thing, isn’t it?” Amy jabbed him in the ribs. “You don’t want to be seen as a bus rider.”
    “I don’t see why we have to go in the first place,” Max complained.
    Dear. God. They could be so utterly annoying. “You do know why attending school is important. None of us should be left looking a fool, da? ”
    Max’s lips pressed together, drawing a grim line. He knew. It wasn’t for the sake of education anymore, though I wanted that for my family—I knew enough history to know education equated with freedom—but it was to maintain the appearance of normalcy. And it seemed odd things frequently occurred at Junction High, so being there was like placing our family’s hand on the pulse of the town.
    I rallied a sense of what once allowed me to dominate the family— rule the roost , as Amy sometimes quipped—and said, amazingly firmly: “Ride the bus or have Max drive. I do not care. But I will not waste my time dragging your ass back and forth to school.”
    Pietr’s eyes flared and Max’s hand settled on his shoulder, acknowledging the challenge to the family’s alpha.
    I raised my mug in a salute and looked flat at Amy.
    Pietr read my warning clearly.
    Amy knew we were odd. She realized there were things vastly different about us. Most she probably equated to our Russian heritage and travels in Europe. But she didn’t want to know how different we were. And if Pietr changed just to show me who was boss in the Rusakova household, it’d ruin every tenuous thing holding Max and Amy together.
    As much as Pietr and Max argued, Pietr would never ruin Max’s chance at a real relationship. He understood just how precious they were now.
    We all did—especially in the absence of one in particular.
    There was a noise outside.
    “Crap. That’s the bus. Come on.” Amy grabbed Max by the hand and pushed past Cat and Pietr, swinging the door open.
    The chill of autumn woke me further and damped down the heat burning in Pietr’s eyes. With a frown, he turned and followed the others from the house.
    Alexi
    I was headed to the kitchen with my empty plate and coffee mug when someone knocked on the door. “It’s open.” I no longer bothered to lock the door since the CIA and Russian Mafia knew where we lived. If they wanted us badly enough a single deadbolt surely would not keep them out.
    Luckily the one thing all sides seemed to want even more than our capture was the illusion of normalcy. Breaking down our door and dragging out a bunch of good-looking teens (and myself) would certainly draw attention to what was going on in and around Junction and Farthington.
    So we had an uneasy peace.
    Or a stalemate.
    Either was more nerve-wracking than a full-out onslaught. It was like having a quiet neighbor digging up his backyard. You wanted to believe it was in the name of gardening, but you never understood the depth of your unease until people started going missing.
    Wanda found me in the kitchen. “Morning, sunshine.”
    I grunted, looking her up and down. Even Wanda, with her brutally pulled back blond ponytail and all-business-like attitude, was beginning to appear almost feminine.
    I needed to get out more.
    “Is it wise for you to be seen here?”
    “I took some precautions.”
    “Hmm.” Refilling my coffee mug, I asked, “So how goes it for a guard of the order?” The steaming black stuff couldn’t be made strong enough to help me tolerate a morning visit from her.
    “Ever get the feeling you’re being lied to?”
    My sipping grew cautious. “I dealt with lies frequently when I was alpha.”
    “But were you ever lied to?”
    “Must I explain the nature of teenage siblings—or, better yet, the black market, to a member of the CIA?” I sat.
    She moved to the counter and helped herself to a mug and coffee, emptying the pot.
    Cruel woman .
    “I get the